Samar Heritage Museum

𝗨𝗡𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗞𝗘𝗗: 𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙎𝙐'𝙨 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙪𝙢

In a History Forum organized by the Social Studies Circle and the Samar State University Museum & Archives last Nov. 22, 2024 , a photo of the first set of students of then 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒓 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 (STS), the genesis of Samar State University, has been bared to the public for the first time in the 112-year history of the University.

The photo was revealed to the public by no less than the Head of SSU Museum & Archives, 𝑴𝒓. 𝑱𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒍 𝑪. 𝑩𝒂𝒋𝒂𝒅𝒐, who had painstakingly researched the historical narrative of SSU. The photo shows the first school principal and the first set of students of STS who were wearing a baseball attire, taken in the "Catbalogan Athletic Field".

It can be remembered that it was also Mr. Bajado who had shown to the public the photo of the first concrete building of STS built in 1911 and fully furnished in 1913.

During the aforementioned forum, Mr. Bajado remarked that "as someone who professes history, I cannot swallow information hook, line, and sinker, without critically making corroborations with other historical sources," emphasizing the errors he rectified about the history of Samar State University.

"One of the geatest blunders in our historical narratives is the name of our very first principal, who is written as James Waddel," remarked Mr. Bajado who accordingly had learned, upon cross-referencing with documents from archives in the US, that the correct name of SSU's first principal is 𝘾𝙮𝙧𝙪𝙨 𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙡.

The blunder did not stop there as he also found that the second principal, also an American, was not Frederick Mason, as shown in the records of SSU, but 𝙈𝙧. 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙖𝙧 𝙎. 𝙈𝙖𝙭𝙨𝙤𝙣. "I find it unfortunate that even just the correct names of our academic leaders, we failed to remember," added Mr. Bajado, who reiterated that "those who are ignorant of history are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past" and stressed the importance of history in undertsanding the present state of affairs of our school.

Towards the end part of his lecture, Mr. Bajado mentioned that "the next challenge is to identify the names of these students, who might be one of you ancestors... your relatives." He also emphasized the importance of our collective memory as an academic community.

For the first time, the SSU community and the general public were able to take a glimpse of a photo of SSU's first principal and the first set of students of STS presumbaly taken in between 1912 and 1914. These photos were revealed in a Photo Exhibit dubbed as Siyahan nga Pagsipat (𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑮𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆). The said photos were given to Mr. Bajado by the descendants of Cyrus M. Waddell.

Prior to the photo exhibit, "practically, no one from SSU, or from this part of the world, has ever seen a photo of Mr. Waddell, or its first students," Mr. Bajado said. These photos are an output of his meticulous historical research in the span of ten (10) long years.

In a personal message, the Dean of SSU's Samar Island Institute of Medicine, Dr. Noel Espallardo said he liked Mr. Bajado's "persistence and dedication in research to find the truth and making a narrative."

The photo exhibit was visited by over a thousand visitors in the duration of its exhibition from November 22 until yesterday, Nov. 29, 2024. The said forum and exhibit coincided the 20th anniversary of SSU's charter as the first university in the province of Samar.🔹️

■ 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 MB & DD | 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒍𝒆

AN IROY NGA TUNA by Illuminado Lucente

Did you know that the very popular song "An iroy nga Tuna" was written by Lucente? Here is the poem turned into a popular Bisayan (Waray) song:
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AN IROY NGA TUNA

An iroy nga tuna matam-is pagpuy’an
Bisan diin siplat puros kasangkayan.
Aanhi an hingpit nga at kalipayan
Hira nanay, tatay pati kabugtuan.

Lugaring mahiblon, ha dughan bati-on
Inin Pilipinas dayuday uripon
Ay Tuna nga akon nataw'han!
Hain daw an hingpit nga ginkaripayan?

Salamat uyamot hinin kalangitan
Waray na mabug-on nga at’ kasakitan
Kay adton uripon nga nayon
Labis mapait pa kay han kamatayon.

Duroyog mag-ampo inin katiripon
Nga di’ bumalik an at’ kauripon
Kairo han at’ sumusunod kon
Tulo nga bitoun ngan adlaw matunod.

AN PULONG NGA KUAN
(Eduardo A. Makabenta, Sr.)

Waray may mabaribad, bisan diin ibulang,
inin aton yinaknan masayon nga yakan,
kay magkukuri o magkakulang-kulang
may naton ipuruno: an pulong nga kuan!

Asya gud an saliwan nga aton ginagamit
kun daw may us’ nga pulong nga di hinumdoman,
basi an at’ himangraw hidugngan hin manamit,
layon kita nagamit han pulong nga kuan.

Pananglit may maagi nga at’ hadto kilala
kundi an iya ngaran ginpara han uran,
at’ na la tatawagon ha us’ nga gala-gala
basi ha kadagmitan, “Uy, kadi daw, kuan!”

Saliwan han kuwako ni adton disperdona
kun daw magkagaramo, bas’ di hibul-iwan,
kay d***s tatawaga ha kan Duday Petrona,
“Hoy, kadi daw anay, kapti adin’ ak’ kuan!”

Kun daw an antiyuhos magsayop hin paghapon,
oras han pagkaraham diri hitultolan,
maguliat hi Babay hin sugad nga gihapon
(bis’ aada ha agtang), “Hain na an ak’ kuan?’

Pananglit an paplungan nagpipinulupuko
ngan maglulunti-lukso ha hinihigotan,
hi Man Inggo masugo hin waray pagritruko,
“Hoy, Toribia, Serapia, gaposa adi'n ak’ kuan!”

Kun pananglit magkuri pagsul-ot han sapatos,
kay nahuot masyado iton singkadolan,
hi Inggo maguliat ha tingog nga malatos,
“Adin akon kuan, diri nakukuan!”

An pagdinadakopan ni Petra han bilibol
tungod kay madalunot, sukot hibul-iwan,
an mga panampalas duro na kamahibol,
“Peste, sin kamahanglas san sini nga kuan!”

Bisan han gin-aagaw an pisi ni Sipronyo
kay buot ni Ulalya an kanding higotan,
ngan ini hi Sipronyo duro an panimonyo,
“Hin kawaray mo alo, bul-iwi it’ ak’ kuan!”

Ginkuan an kuan bis’ diri makuruan.
Ngan kay ginkikinuan, salit nakukuan.
Bis ano nga kuan ginkikinuan-kuan
salit an kakuanan puro na la kuan!

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Published in his Memorias. Eduardo Makabenta Sr. Foundation. 2002.

*Day 2

HINGYAP

Hingyap co pag beling mga cali-awan
Og bolong san saquit sinin acon dughan
Cay nabutnga aco sini nga calaodan
Hiluag nga dagat sinin cacuri-an.

Hirapit madangat an calomos nacon
Con diri mo Liling si aco talwason
Mangitngit nga palad acon cacaraoton
Tongod san waray mo calooy sa acon.

Yade naghihingyap sa adlao og gab-i
Nag hoholat imo inin nagcucuri
Huloga na gad man pulti nga paglingi
Nga macacalipay sinin kinabuhi.

Bok-a an dughan co base mo makita
An waray malabao acon paghigugma
Kitaa sa mata co an purao nga luha
Tigaman nga icao acon pinalangga.

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Our first writer is Trinidad Pinca from Lao-ang, Northern Samar. Here is one of his sidays published in his book Poems and Songs by Trinidad Pinca (1977).

* Day 1

In celebration of the National Literature Month, the SSU Museum and Archives is bringing you a virtual literary exhibit dubbed as Bulan Panuratan.

Everyday, starting today, we will feature a biographical sketch and sample works of some of our poets, dramatists/playwrights, fictionists, and writers in the Waray language.

This celebration is by virtue of Proclamation No. 968, which was signed last February 10, 2015, declaring April as Buwan ng Panitikang Filipino or National Literature Month, recognizing that “Philippine literature, written in different Philippine languages, is associated with the history and cultural legacy of the State, and must be promoted among Filipinos,” and that “national literature plays an important role in preserving and inspiring the literature of today and in introducing to future generations the Filipino values that we have inherited from our ancestors.”

Basaha naton an mga sinurat nga kilala-a an aton mga magsusurat ha aton dapit, ngan bulig pagpalambo han aton literatura! 🪶

Happy Birthday, Dr. Marilyn D. Cardoso.

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Samar State University's President, Dr. Marilyn Dejecasion-Cardoso. 💚💐

First Siday to be recorded and printed...

DID YOU KNOW?

The first Siday that was printed dates back to the 1600s?

The first Siday (poetry in the Bisayan-Waray language) that sees print was recorded by Jesuit friar Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina, whose first assignment was in Borongan, Eastern Samar and stayed in the Eastern Visayas area for almost four decades.

The siday (written in Spanish) revered the beauty of a Waray lady):

Mata nga daw bato-barani nag uuripon sin cadam-an,
Ugsa usa capagsiplat imo ginbibihag an capid-an
Labao san luran san canan banyaga sasacyan...

(Your eyes are like a magnet, that captivate many
With only a glance, you seize more than any...
More than the number of a pirate fleet...)

*The waray rendition is believed to be written by Jose Cinco Gomez, a popular lyricist and composer from Calbayog, Samar.
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The Spanish version appeared in
📍Alcina, Francisco Ignacio. Historia de las Islas y Indios de Bisayas... 1668.

While the Waray version appeared in
📍Daroy, Petronilo. (n.d.) Waray Literature.

📍Vilches, Ma. Luz (1982). A Preliminary Survey of Waray Poetry. [In Kandabao: Essays in Waray Language, Culture, and Literature (ed. Greg Luangco)]. DWU Press.

Photo: From Alzina's Historia depicting the typical Samarnon attire in that period.

Happy Birthday, Jose P. Rizal
Nationalist. Patriot. Hero

DID YOU KNOW?

There is a translation in Waray of Jose Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tangere" ? The translation is called "An Kaduntan han Bungto" which was translated by poet Eduardo Makabenta Sr.

Also, there are at least eleven (11) published "classic" Waray translations of the Jose Rizal-attributed-poem "Mi Ultimo Adios", written by well-known writers in the Samar- Leyte-Biliran region. The list includes:

1. Justice NORBERTO ROMUALDEZ (Tacloban). Romualdez is of course known as the "Father of the Law on the National Language". The Justice Romualdez Street in downtown Tacloban is named after him. He is a founding member of Sanghiran San Binisaya.

2. Fr. FROILAN MONSANTO. A priest from Calbayog. His translation, "Katapusan nga Panamilet" was published in The Courier in its Nov-Dec 1961 issue.

3. Atty. LUCIANO TY. ( Former Provincial Secretary of Samar [?]) His translation 'An Katapusan nga Pagbaya' was published in An Lambrag (or An Kalambragan) in its February 1957 issue. Kalambragan was edited by the prominent Waray poet and playwright, Illuminado Lucente.

4. LUCIANO ORTIZ (Calbayog). Perhaps the oldest Waray translation penned as early as 1911 and published in Vicente de Veyra's Hinugpung, in December of 1914.

5. RICARDO OCTAVIANO (Tacloban) . A very popular poet in the 70s. He noted however that his 'Katapusan nga Panamilet' is not a translation but an interpretation of Mi Ultimo Adios. He recited his ''interpretation' during the Rizal Day celebration on Dec. 30, 1976 at the plaza of Tacloban.

6. JUAN RICACHO (Carigara, Leyte). His translation is also entitled 'Katapusan nga Panamilet'. Ricacho hails from Carigara, former Capital of Leyte.

7. EDUARDO MAKABENTA SR. (Carigara, Leyte). One of the most popular lyrical poets in Waray. He is known for his satirical verses and is Leyte's poet laureate.

8. CEFERINO MONTEJO (Palo, Leyte). Montejo also translated Rizal's "El Canto de Viajero" with the title "An Magsarakay". Some of his poems appeared in An Lantawan in 1940s and at The Leyte Courier in the 60s.

9. Atty. TOMAS GOMEZ JR. (Calbayog City). He is the son of former senator Tomas Gomez Sr. His Mga Siday ngan Carantahon (Poems and Songs) was published in 1956. He was a former mayor of Calbayog City.

10. VICENTE DIRA (Samar). He was appointed as Givernor of Samar at the onset of the Liberation from the Japanese. He was appointed by Gen. McArthur and served from 1944-1945.

11. ANTONIO APOSTOL. There is a limited information about this poet but Apostol's name was mentioned in Vicente de Veyra's collection of Mi Ultimo Adios translations.

📍Photo: Kaduntan Han Bungto
📍Source: Rizal as a Waray by Jhonil C. Bajado, Essay on Rizal, published on Special Issue of Katilingban ® 2018